Friday, February 19, 2016

6 Tips: Productiveness

Happy Friday friends! We've made it another week, but that doesn't mean all productivity has to come to a screeching halt. Stay on top of the humble hustle with my six tips to productiveness:

Wake up earlier - Your bed is your favorite hello, and hardest goodbye especially when that unappealing 7:05AM alarm goes off. I've found that giving myself an extra 30 minutes in the morning is SO important. It can really set the tone for the day. That’s when I brew a cup of coffee and get most of my blog work done. It’s also a great time for any quick house chores (i.e.: making the bed, putting away dishes that dried overnight, etc.) that will give any day a nice clean start.

Disconnect - Any time I get a notification it's literally a trifecta of dings: my phone goes off, followed by my watch, with another chime in from my iPad. Focusing is nearly impossible and those “power off” options exist for a reason, even if it's only for an hour. Another disconnecting hack? Shutting off the “preview” option on your mail app while you’re on your computer. Too many times I'll see a message come through, read the preview, then feel obligated to open the rest of it. By turning the preview option off, it’s like the message never came in. It'll be there when I'm ready to deal with it.

Lists on lists on lists - The therapy of checking something off of your to-do list is like no other. I love breaking my to-dos out into sublists with parts to complete. Start with three things that you want to get done. For every one you check off, add a new one. This weekly planning pad from Sugar Paper is a lifesaver.

Be a goal digger: Set goals. Keep them realistic and attainable. Give yourself a deadline. Break larger goals out over a course of a few days. Sunday night you may realize you want to workout three times in the coming week before going out for drinks on Friday. Set a schedule and stick to it to achieve that goal. You’ll feel so accomplished on day three, completing your last workout - which will make those Friday night margs taste even better.

Speaking of working out: Lift those spirits and load yourself up on endorphins. Even a 20 minute run can make all the difference. I know when I get back from a quick jog around the neighborhood, I get that rush of wanting to knock out ALL THE THINGS at home. It's like a kick-starter into the world of productivity.

Hold yourself accountable: If you follow me on snapchat (kahlas), then you know that I recently snappchatted a picture of sweet potato fries promising a recipe #ontheblog next week. Now I have it in the back of my mind that I’m committed to posting this recipe, and won’t stop thinking about it until I write the post. It's all mental. If I don’t follow through, I’ll obviously lose all of my Snap friends and my blog will come crumbling down. Other easy ways to hold yourself accountable: set a personal deadline (stick to it!), make it public on social media (you might even get support), or tell a friend what you’re wanting to get it done (next time they ask about it, be the you that can tell them you got it done, not the one that says they haven't started "it" yet).